MELVIN GARTEN

GARTEN--Col. Melvin (Ret.),

died May 2, 2015, at his home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, at age 93. He was born May 20, 1921 in New York City. After graduating from City College he volunteered as a paratrooper in World War II, launching what would be an illustrious 30-year military career. At the time of his 1968 retirement from the U.S. Army, he was among the most decorated combat veterans of his time, with honors from heroic actions and serious wounds in three wars: WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, three Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, five Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, two Joint Commendation Medals and two Air Medals. His 70-year marriage to Ruth Engelman, of the Bronx, began before he departed for battle in the Philippines. There he took part in the audacious airborne raid of Los Banos in 1945, rescuing more than 2,000 U.S. and Allied civilians from a Japanese prison camp. Col. Garten's feats of bravery in the Korean War garnered recommendations for the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was gravely wounded in Vietnam, but even after losing a leg he requested and received assignment as post commander at Fort Bragg. Having earned a master's degree in International Relations from George Washington University, he became a professor of history and political science at the University of Tampa in 1970. He and Ruth, who died in 2013, moved to Oregon in 2001 to be near their grandchildren. He is survived by sons Allan (Pam) of Portland, OR, and Jeffrey (Ina) of East Hampton, NY; sister Shirley Maslow of New York City; two granddaughters and two great-granddaughters, all of Portland, OR. Funeral will be Friday, May 8, in Portland. Interment, with full military honors, will be at Arlington National Cemetery.